Armed men stormed a voter card distribution centre at Oyinlola DC Primary School in Ward 2, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State on Sunday, disrupting the exercise and making off with three packs of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs). The incident occurred while INEC officials were distributing the cards to members of the public, prompting panic as the suspects fired sporadically into the air. Eyewitness Gbadebo recounted that about eight men entered the premises unnoticed before opening fire and seizing the PVCs from close to where INEC staff were seated. A police statement confirmed the attack, attributing it to approximately 10 armed thugs.
Osun Police Command spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed the incident, stating that Police Commissioner Ibrahim Gotan had condemned the act and ordered a comprehensive investigation. Tactical and intelligence units have been deployed to track down those responsible and recover the stolen materials. The command reiterated its commitment to upholding the rule of law and urged the public to remain calm and report any useful information to the nearest police station or through emergency lines. No injuries were reported, but the event has raised concerns over security at electoral exercise centres ahead of upcoming polls.
|||NAJABUZZ_TAKE||| The police say 10 armed thugs attacked an INEC centre, yet an eyewitness counted only eight — the discrepancy goes unexplained. With PVCs stolen and distribution disrupted, voters in Ward 2 may face delays in exercising their franchise. The Osun Police Command has launched an investigation but has not yet accounted for how armed men breached the location undetected.
The unresolved status of the stolen PVCs and the gap between the number of suspects described by eyewitnesses and police raises questions about the accuracy of initial reports and the potential for coordinated disruption. This matters to Osun residents and INEC, as clarity on the exact sequence and scale of the attack is essential for restoring confidence in voter card distribution.
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